Green tea tapioca
Today we are having another shorter post. I'm trying green tea flavored tapioca. What can I say, I have fun looking through ethnic grocery stores.
I'm not quite sure which language this is written in. These are the type of tapioca pearls used in bubble tea, but the package recommends stirring them with honey or sugar and eating as is. They also do make a note about using them in beverages. It basically boils down to being a warning about choking. I'm trying mine plain so I can get a better idea of how they taste. I'm also chewing them instead of trying to drink them. They smell sweet when I open the package, but I don't think they smell like tea.
The package recommends boiling them for 2-3 minutes after they float to the top of the water.
Then covering them, turning the heat off, and letting them simmer for another 2-3 minutes.
Next, you drain off the boiling water, and dump them in cold water for 20 seconds.
Well, mine ended up hanging out a little longer than 20 seconds. I was intrigued by how the outer edges are clear, and make it look like there is a little gap in space between them when they are really packed side by side. I think that's the artistic part of my personality.
Anyway, I scooped them into a dry bowl and tasted them.
For some reason whenever I look at them I think of frog eggs. They are round, and have a layer of goo on the outside. Being green does help the association even though frog eggs are not green, and you just see a dark dot in the center where the tadpole is developing (thank you Google).
They are still quite firm, and a bit gummy. There really isn't much of a flavor. They don't taste like tea. I can see how adding a sweetener would liven them up a bit. I remember my grandmother mixing large pearl tapioca with brown sugar (and possibly some white sugar, too), and canned pineapple for a side dish she called "glop". I think there were a few other things thrown in, too, but it has been a long time since I've had it. Overall, I'm still not a fan of combining tea and tapioca, but it was fun to try something new.
The package recommends boiling them for 2-3 minutes after they float to the top of the water.
Then covering them, turning the heat off, and letting them simmer for another 2-3 minutes.
Next, you drain off the boiling water, and dump them in cold water for 20 seconds.
Well, mine ended up hanging out a little longer than 20 seconds. I was intrigued by how the outer edges are clear, and make it look like there is a little gap in space between them when they are really packed side by side. I think that's the artistic part of my personality.
Anyway, I scooped them into a dry bowl and tasted them.
They are still quite firm, and a bit gummy. There really isn't much of a flavor. They don't taste like tea. I can see how adding a sweetener would liven them up a bit. I remember my grandmother mixing large pearl tapioca with brown sugar (and possibly some white sugar, too), and canned pineapple for a side dish she called "glop". I think there were a few other things thrown in, too, but it has been a long time since I've had it. Overall, I'm still not a fan of combining tea and tapioca, but it was fun to try something new.
They just look like slimy green grapes to me.
ReplyDeleteI think I've got the glop recipe if you really want it!
No, I don't really want the glop recipe. While I've never been a person to keep up with mainstream culture, I am trying to be like the Millennials and not eat the way my parents and grandparents did (with good reason).
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